Means for aerating the underskin of vessels automatically



Sept. 22, 1931. F. D. .VOGLER MEANS FOR AERATING THE UNDERSKIN OF VESSELS AUTOMATICALLY 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 24, 1930' lu l Fran/i Z VOf/ff' Sept. 22, 1931. F. D. VOGLER 1,824,313

MEANS FOR. AERATING THE UNDERSKIN. 0F VESSELS AUTOMATICALLY Filed April 24, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fran f V W iNVENTOR ATT Y Patented Sept. 22, 1931 FRANK I). VOGLER, or mrnwhuxrn, OREGON MEANS FOR .AERATING THE 'UND'ERSKIN' 0F VESSEVLS AuzroMA'rIcA Lr Application filed April 24, 1930. serial'No. 446,945.

My invention is intended for use upon boats and has for its object the admitting of air across the bottom strakes of the boat and especially along the stern portion of the bottom of the boat in order to lessenthe frictional resistance of the boat with the water when traveling at relatively high speed.

The invention consists primarily of means placed at one or more points for the admitting of air along or across the entire rearward bottom portion of the boat to lessen the frictional resistance between the bot-toni skin of the boat and the water over which the same travels. Fins are further provided to prevent eddies forming at the sides of the boat caused by the air flowing athwart the boat. The fins maintain the air currents in stream line and prevent the air to escape sidewise of the boat, but confinesthe same in stream-like lines for the after portion of the bottom of the boat.

One of the objects of my invention is to increase the speed of relatively high speed boats.

A further object of my invention isto le's-' sen the fuel required in the propelling of high speed boats. l

A still further object of my invention consists in providing automatic means for preventing the surge encountered in high speed boats from entering the hull of the boat through the air passages when the power is shut oif.

A still further object of my invention resides in providing means for the distribution of air over the bottom skin of the boat.

With these and incidental objects in View, the invention consists in certainnovel features of construction and combination of parts, the

essential elements of .which are set forth in the appended claims, and a preferred form of embodiment of which is hereinafter shown with reference to the drawings which accompany and form a part of this specification.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is 'a'longitudinal, sect-ionah'side view of a speed boat. 1

'Fig: 2 is a Vertical', cross sectional View 7 taken" on line 22 of Fig.- 1, looking in the direction indicated. 7

.Fig. 3 is an inverted illustrated in-Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary, sectional side view ot' the'inlet air'passage extending through the bottom strakes of the boat.v z t F ig. 5 is a sectional,' side 'viewof a twostep air passage andillustrating'funnels for admitting air into the inlets transversely dis posed at the bottom strakes of the boat.

Fig. 6 is a vertical, sectionalview of the boat illustrated in Fig. 5,- thesame being taken on line 66. of Fig. 5, looking in the direction indicated. i

Fig.7? isa perspective, end'view of one of the cross members comprising one of the frames of the boat to which-the bottom and side strakes are fastened and through which air is admitted from the funnels into the air passages. 7

Like reference characters refer to like parts throughout the several views.

I provide an air inlet passage. 1 disposed 'entirelyracross the bottom strakes of high speed boats and arrange the bottom strakes 2 andB in spacedrelationship with each other to provide an outlet passage 4 for the air to .pass therethrough and along the bottom stern portion of the bottom strakes. A closure 5 is provided" for'the closing of the inlet passage 1. I' have found that greater speed is obtained and less disturbanceto the water occursfifth'e boat has parallelly disposed fins 6 extending .rearwardly from the inlet passage and uniformly taper from a relatively thin edge in the rear and to' substantially the full depth of the, spaced relationshipinclud ing the depth of the forward strakes as illustrated at 7 in Fig. 2. In boats oflonger length it may be. necessaryto place the inlet planview of the boat passageways 8 and 9 as illustrated in Fig. and have a set of tapered fins 10 disposed. between the two inlet passages and a rear set of spaced fins 11 extending from the rear or stern air inlet 8 and extending substantially to the stern 12 of the boat. I have also observed that the air may be admitted into the passageways under substantial pressure by the placing of funnels 13 and 14 disposed at either side of the boat and having a plurality of separator blades 15 and 16 disposed within the passagewaylft'. The ends of theseparator blades terminate between -'the respective spaced fins in order to uniformly distribute the air under substantial pressure through the inlet passages and over thatporti'on'of the skin of. the boat disposedrearwardly,ofthe step or steps of the 'boat through which the air is discharged. Crossframesmaybe made substantially as illustrated in Fig. 7 wherein the side strakes of the boatimayfbe secured to flanges 118 and l9'disposed at either side of each end of the frame. Outwardly extending flanges are disposed at thebottom at 20 to which ithe bottomstrakes are secured with separator blades 15 and 17 disposed between the side walls 22 and 2 10f the frame with a funnel disposed at the upper end thereof for conductin'g the air into thepassageways.

fllhe'distributor blades distributethe-air over from entering the boat. The automatic means consists of the mechanism illustrated in Fig. 4 wherein vertically disposed walls-'26 and 27 =upwardly extend from the boatstrakes and a hinged closure28 is hingedly secured to one of the walls by any suitable hinging meansflt); A counterbalanced weight 30 is secured to the closure 28 andnormally maintains the passageway 31 closed. When a suction is created within the passageway by an already obtained relatively high speed, the draft created upon the closure28draws the same down about'the hinge, thus permitting a freeentry of air into'thepassageway. As soon as the' pressure is released the counterweight 30 closes thesame. v

-' "While'the form-ofmechanism herein shown and described/is:admirablyaad'apted to fulfill the objects primarily stated, it is to be understoo'd thatz it isnot intended to confine theinvention to the one'form of embodiment herein shown and describedy asit'is susceptible of embodiment in various forms, .all coming within'the scopeof the clanns which follow.

7 "What I claim is:

fIn'a device of'the class'described, the combination of a bo'athulhthe bottom strakes ofthe hull being cut anddisposed in spaced relation with each' other' to form astep for 

